Safety ski poles provided with snowheads

ABSTRACT

A pair of ski pole snowheads with one snowhead having a bore between the center and the outer edge of the snowhead with the other snowhead having elongated aperture extending inwardly from the outer edge of the snowhead. The diameter of the bore and the inside width of the aperture match the diameter of the ski pole tube adjacent to the snowhead.

United States Patent Inventor Franz Xaver Bruckl Krottenkopfstrasse S0, 8116 Fschenlohe, Germany Appl. No. 751,956 Filed Aug. 12, 1968 Patented July 27, 1971 Priority Aug. 17, 1967 Germany P 15 78 728.7

SAFETY SK] POLES PROVIDED WITH SNOWHEADS 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

us. a 2s0/1 1.37 z

Fieldolsnrcll 2110/1131 BR,11.37B,11.37BN,11.37A

[561 References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 861,162 10/1940 France 280/11.37 BR 384,438 2/1965 Switzerland 280/l1.37 BR 1,356,414 2/1964 France 280/11.37 B 191,118 11/1907 Germany.. 280/l1.37B 684,566 11/1939 Germany 280/1l.37 BN 11,785 4/1903 Norway 280/1l.37 BN 188,910 4/1937 Switzerland 280/11.37 BR Primary ExaminerBenjamin Hersh Assistant Examiner-Milton L. Smith Attomey-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher ABSTRACT: A pair of ski pole snowheads with one snowhead having a bore between the center and the outer edge of the snowhead with the other snowhead having elongated aperture extending inwardly from the outer edge of the snowhead. The diameter of the bore and the inside width of the aperture match the diameter of the ski pole tube adjacent to the snowhead.

PATENTED JULZ'! 19m SHEET 1 BF 2 mull/II SAFETY SKI POLES PROVIDED WITH SNOWI-IEADS This invention relates to ski poles having specially designed snowheads.

A large number of snowheads on ski poles are known. The ,most widely used snowheads are those which comprise an endless ring of any desired shape and retaining elements of plastics material, leather, rubber or metal, which are secured to or injection molded around the ring. Whereas the multiplicity of known snowheads do include designs which are entirely satisfactory in function during skiing, all known snowheads have the disadvantage that the ski poles provided therewith cannot be fitted together or can be fitted together only to a restricted extent although it would be desirable that the ski poles could be stuck together, e.g., in transit. It has been endeavored to avoid this disadvantage by the recent development of snowheads, which have fingerlike leaves that extend outwardly from the snowhead hub and are not connected by a ring and are secured to the ski pole rigidly or by a ball and socket joint. Such so-called leaf-type snowheads enable a restricted fitting together of the ski poles but are unsatisfactory because the resulting connection is not firm enoughasthe spaces left between adjacent leaves taper inwardly so that the ski pole which has snapped into position urges outwardly and-is released when it has been subjected to movement for a prolonged time, e.g., when carried on a moving motor vehicle.

There is thus an urgent desire for snowheads for ski poles, which snowheads enable a'connection between two ski poles by a joint whichcan easily be established, holds reliably and can easily be released.

This is enabled according to the invention in that both snowheads of a pairof ski poles have different fonns. According to the invention, the snowhead of one ski pole has a through bore for receiving the ski pole tube of the second pole FIG. 5 is an end view showing the snowheads with the ski poles fitted together.

ture in the left-hand. snowhead 1 consists of a circular bore 3 and the aperture 2 in the right-hand snowhead consists of a transversely outwardly directed, unilateral opening 4.

FIGS. 2 and 4 show clearly that fastening plugs 5, 6 are integrally comolded with the snowheads I and 2 according to the invention and disposed on the underside thereof. The transverse bore 7 formed in these plugs serves to secure the snowheads 1, 2 and to prevent a rotation thereof. Plug rivets are received by these bores when the snowhead is mounted in position. The collar 8 on the top serves for an additional stabilization of the snowhead 1, 2. 1

FIG. 5 is an end view showing the two snowheads l, 2 mounted in position and in engagement with the ski pole tube 9,10.

FIG. 6 shows in a top plan view how the snowheads I, 2 which are fitted together act one in the other. The apertures 12 in the snowheads 1, 2 reduce the weight and improve the resilience of the snowheads l, 2. I

The snowheads according to the invention may be used with ski poles of any kind and made of any material. A particularly desirable ski pole will be obtained when ski pole tubes are transverse direction. Ski poles having such ski pole tubes are I described more in detail in the patent application of the appliwhereas the snowhead of the second ski pole has anelongated aperture which receives the tube of the first pole. This enables the two ski poles of a pair to be connected by a joint which is reliable and finn and which can easily be eliminated.

For the sake of completion it is pointed out that the snowheads according to the invention may be made from any material which in view of its properties is suitable for an article of the present kind. Without any inventive addition, a person skilled in the art can select suitable material. At present, the snowheads according to the invention are preferably made from resilient plastics material.

The snowheads are secured in the usual manner to the ski pole tube, e.g., by pinning, clamping, adhering or the like.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be explained more fully with reference to the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the right-hand snowhead having a slot for receiving the ski pole tube.

FIG. 2 is an end view showing the right-hand snowhead also with a retainer which has been molded thereto.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing a left-hand snowhead according to the invention,

FIG. 4 is an end elevation showing the left-hand snowhead with a molded-on rubberlike retainer.

cant filed on the same day under the title, Safety Ski Pole," Ser. No. 751,955. Ski poles which'comprise snowheads according to the invention and such ski pole tubes are also within the scope of the present invention.

In modern ski poles, the grips are designed so that the normal grasping thereof by a skier will result in a predetermined orientation of the cross section of the ski pole in use.

What I claim is:

1. A pair of ski poles provided with snowheads in which one snowhead has a bore adapted to receive the pole of the other snowhead, and the other snowhead has an elongated aperture adapted to receive the pole of the first snowhead; the diameter of the bore and the inside width of the aperture matching the diameter of the ski pole tube adjacent to the snowhead and each snowhead has a fastening plug integrally comolded therewith and disposed on the under side of the snowhead, which has a transverse bore so that it can receive a plug rivet and thereby prevent rotation of the snowheads when the ski 50' poles are placed one with the other.

2. Ski poles according to claim I, wherein the ski pole tubes have at least in their intermediate portion a cross-sectional diameter which is larger in the direction of skiing than in the transverse direction.

3. Ski poles, according to claim 1, wherein each snowhead contains additional apertures. I Y

4. Ski poles, according to claim I, wherein each snowhead has a collar molded thereon. 

1. A pair of ski poles provided with snowheads in which one snowhead has a bore adapted to receive the pole of the other snowhead, and the other snowhead has an elongated aperture adapted to receive the pole of the first snowhead; the diameter of the bore and the inside width of the aperture matching the diameter of the ski pole tube adjacent to the snowhead and each snowhead has a fastening plug integrally comolded therewith and disposed on the under side of the snowhead, which has a transverse bore so that it can receive a plug rivet and thereby prevent rotation of the snowheads when the ski poles are placed one with the other.
 2. Ski poles according to claim 1, wherein the ski pole tubes have at least in their intermediate portion a cross-sectional diameter which is larger in the direction of skiing than in the transverse direction.
 3. Ski poles, according to claim 1, wherein each snowhead contains additional apertures.
 4. Ski poles, according to claim 1, wherein each snowhead has a collar molded thereon. 